Gas lighter



Dec. 10, 1963 F. s. L. TlssoT-DUPONT 3,113,444

GAS LIGHTER Filed Aug. 22. 1961` Fim Fca United States Patent Oiiice i, 3,il3,444 Patented Dec. 10, i963 3,113,444 GAS LIGHTER Franois Simon Lucien Tissot-Dupont, Paris, France, as-

signor to Society S, T. lupont, Paris, France, a body corporate ot' France Filed Aug. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 133,262 Claims priority, application France Aug. 25, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 67--7.l)

The present invention relates to a liquefied gas lighter of the ty'pe in which the opening of the valve allowing the outflow of the gas and the actuation of the milled nut generating the ignition spark for the gas are controlled by a single motion, through a common control member such as a knob, a lever, the cover of the lighter or one or several driving devices.

The object of the present invention is to produce this single control member in a particularly simple and reliable Way and the lighter according to the invention, is characterized. in that it includes a cam which controls the opening of the valve and is simultaneously driven in rotation with the milled nut.

According to a preferred form of embodiment, the cam is constituted by a disk mounted on the axis of the milled nut (for instance the driving member of the milled nut) and provided with a tlat extending on about 90. rhis cam cooperates with :a pivoted lever subjected at one end to the action of a spring: this spring secures, through the other end of the lever, the closing of the valve when the flat of the cam comes .into Contact with the lever and is compressed by the cam, thereby allowing the opening of the valve, when the circular portion lof the valve comes into contact with the lever which is tilted round its axis. The closing of the valve, after the use, is obtained through a new rotation of the cam, in the same direction or in the opposite direction, to bring back the flat into Contact with the lever.

The iiat provided on the cam `and `acting as a stop, secures the back-motion of the valve and keeps it in closed position. The same result can, nevertheless, be obtained wit-h a cam having any profile in its lower portion by associating said cam with abutments to limit its stroke; these abutments Could also be used with cams provided with a flat. When Iabutments are used, the cam should preferably be driven through a friction device or a system disconnectable at the end of the stroke of the cam.

By way of example, several forms of embodiment of a lighter according to the invention are described hereafter and illustrated in the annexed drawing.

FIGURES l and 2 illustrate partly in a longitudinal cross-elevation a rst form of a lighter according to the invention, with `a closed and an opened valve, respectively.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-elevation.

FIGURE 4 shows in elevation, at a greater scale, a driving member used as a control cam` FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate, in elevation and arial section respectively, another form of embodiment of the cam.

FIGURES 7 and 8 are corresponding views of a third form of embodiment.

In the 4form of embodiment illustrated in FIGURES l to 4 inclusive, the milled nut l of the lighter which is carried by an axle trunnioned on the body ot the lighter and which cooperates with the tlint 2, includes two driving disks 3, 3', which form earns and therefore are each provided with a flat @l extending on about 90. A lever 5 pivoted in `6 on the stationary' part of the mechanism bears at its left end, upon a spring 7 which urges the lever to swing to the right, so that its other end presses upon the tubular burner S sliding in a bore 9 `and integral with the valve member itl of the valve and brings about the closing of this valve by compressing the joint il. lf the milled nut is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the dats 4 of the driving members 3 release the lever 5' which is lowered and thereby compresses the spring 7 by the circular portion of the cam (see FlG. 2) and releases the burner S and the valve member id, allowing the discharge of the `gas which is lighted by the spark produced by the milled nut contacting the flint 2. As usually the rotation of the milled nut is less than 270, this milled nut stops before the return of the ats A. in their initial position in FEGURE l, so that the valve remains opened and the gas lichted, To blow out the darne, it suffices to rotate the milled nut in either direction to bring the iiats 4 into Contact with the lever 5.

ln the form of embodiment of 5 and- 6, the cam is integral with the milled nut which has, at one end, a smooth cylinder i3 upon which is provided a iiat lli: the driving is obtained as in the previous case, by means of two knurled driving disks l5, 1S', which have no flats.

in the form of embodiment of FGURES` 7 and 8, the stroke of the `control milled nut is limited by an abutment ,and the cam is rictionally driven in rotation. Therefore, the milled nut lo is set upon a portion i7, having a hexagonal or square section, ofthe axis iS trunnioned in two studs i9, i9', while a large knurled driving cylinder 2d is engaged ou a grooved portion 2l of this axis. A blind hole, 22, provided in the cylinder 2d, houses a spiral spring 23 which urges a friction ydisl; 2li, mounted on a secondv hexagonal or square portion 25 of the axis i3, against a cam 26 provided with a iiat and loose mounted on the cylindrical end of the axis i8. A teat 28 provided on the outer face of the cam 26 is, when this cam is at rest (see FIGURE 7) into Contact with one of the sides of the stud i9 and, after a rotation of about abuts against the upper part of this stud and stops, `leaving the valve in the opened position. li the spark has not flown during this rotation, it is possible to keep on rotating the milled nut, thanks to the friction 24 which slides without driving along the cani until the ignition is produced. After use, a rotation in the reverse direction brings back the cam at rest and closes the valve.

Of course, the modes of connection between the milled nut and the cam, on the one hand and between the cam and the valve on the other hand, and also the shape of the cam and its angular displacement are given only by way of example and can be modied without escaping from the scope of the invention which can be adapted, with a suitable adaptation, to all the types of valves used in gas lighters.

Similarly, without escaping from the scope of the invention, it is also possibile to bring back the cam at its starting position by other means, without making use oi another rotation of the milled nut.

YWhat is claimed is:

l. in a lighter, particularly for smokers, using a combustible gas in a liquefied iform, a container to hold said liquefied gas under pressure, a val-ve mounted on said container to secure a `gas passageway, a flint, an axle trunnioned on said container, a milled nut carried by said axle and cooperating with said ilint to deliver a spark in the Vicinity of the valve, a cam carried by the said axis, a lever pivoted on said container and having one end operatively connected with the valve, a spring arranged on said container to apply the lever against the cam which is shaped to control he opening of the valve by said lever when rotated together with the milled nut.

2. A gas lighter, particularly for smokers, comprising ya container intended to contain a liquefied combustible gas, a valve mounted on said container, a guiding tube, a int arranged to slide in said tube, a spring disposed in `said tube to urge the int towards the outside, a rotary axle trunnioned on the container, transversely to the axis of the guiding tube and above said tube, a milled nut iixed upon said axle and kept into Contact with the flint by said spring, the milled nut comprising two lateral gros-ved flanges having a Vgreater diameter than the milled nut, two parallel flats respectively provided upon the periphery of these two flanges and extending upon about 90, a lever pivoted on an axis parallel to the axis of the milled nut and arranged below said cam to cooperate with said anges provided with flats, a spring located on the container below one end of said lever and arranged to urge same against the periphery of said flanges, means through which the other end of the lever controls the opening and the closing of said valve.

3. A gas lighter, particularly for smokers, comprising a container intended to contain a liqueiied combustible gas, a lvalve mounted on said container, a iiint, a guiding device for said int, a rotary axle trunnioned on the container transversely to the guiding device o the flint and above said device, a cylindrical member iixed on said axle to turn with it, a part of this member forming a milled nut and another part of said member having a smaller diameter forming a cani and being provided with a flat, two lateral grooved iianges also mounted on said axis to 'act as driving devices :for the milled nut and the cam, a lever pivoted upon an axis parallel to the axis of the milled nut and disposed to cooperate with said cam, a spring located on the container below one end of said lever and arranged to urge it against said cam and means through which the other end of the lever controls the opening and the closing of the valve.

4. A gas lighter, particularly for smokers, comprising 3 a container intended to contain a liqueiied combustible gas, a valve mounted on said container, a flint, ya guiding tube for said flint, a rotary axle trunnioned on the container transversely to the axis of the flint containing tube and iabove said tube, a milled nut xed upon said axle to turn with it, means tokeep the flint applied against said milled nut, a cam free-ly mounted on said axis, a friction disk disposed between the milled nut and the cam to drive in rotation said cam by means of the milled nut, means to control through said cam the opening and the closing of the valve and abutments provided on the cam to immobilize the cam in its positions corresponding to the opening and the closing of the valve.

5. A gas lighter, particularly for smokers, comprising a container intended to contain a liquefied combustible gas, -a valve mounted on said container, a guiding tube, a ilint arranged to slide in said tube, a spring disposed in `said tube to urge the int towards the outside, a support constituted by two studs fixed to the container on both sides of the guiding tube of the ilint, a transversal axle trunnioned in said studs, a milled nut iixed on said axle near one of the studs and kept in contact with the end of the ilint by said spring, a cam freely mounted on said axis near the other stud, a driving device formed by a grooved cylindrical member integraal with said axis and disposed between the milled nut and the carn, a blind bore provided in said member and open towards the cam, a spring housed inside said bore, a friction disk slid-ably mounted, but Without being able to rotate, on said disk, )disposed at the mouth of said bore and applied by said spring against the cam, means to control the valve of the container through said cam, an abutment xed on the outer face of said cam to immobilize said cam in the positions for the opening or the closing of said valve, by cooperating with the corresponding stud of the support.

References {ited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,637,990 Aronson May 12, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,210,565 `France Sept. 28, 1959 

1. IN A LIGHTER, PARTICULARLY FOR SMOKERS, USING A COMBUSTIBLE GAS IN A LIQUEFIED FORM, A CONTAINER TO HOLD SAID LIQUEFIED GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A VALVE MOUNTED ON SAID CONTAINER TO SECURE A GAS PASSAGEWAY, A FLINT, AN AXLE TRUNNIONED ON SAID CONTAINER, A MILLED NUT CARRIED BY SAID AXLE AND COOPERATING WITH SAID FLINT TO DELIVER A SPARK IN THE VICINITY OF THE VALVE, A CAM CARRIED BY THE 